


There's No Escaping the Future

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: IronStrange Bingo 2019 Collection (Round 1) [18]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Depression, Heavy Angst, Hurt Stephen Strange, IronStrange Bingo 2019, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Past Relationship(s), Sad Ending, Stephen Strange & Wong Friendship, With a Hint of Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 04:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: This wasn't the Stephen Strange he'd grown to like and love as a friend anymore, this was a new person, marked by countless lifetimes, all ending in tragedy.(Wong is there for Stephen. Before the memorial, during it and afterwards. He'll always be there for Stephen.)





	There's No Escaping the Future

**Author's Note:**

> A couple of weeks ago I got this ask:  
>  _"There's something wrong in the village In the village, oh They stare in the village In the village, oh There's nothing wrong with you It's true, it's true There's something wrong with the village" Wong comforting Stephen in some way??_
> 
> I can't do the theme of the lyrics quoted above justice so I decided to take the second part and run with it. Wong comforting Stephen is lovely; almost as lovely as when Tony does it. But since this is canon compliant Tony is, sadly, not available anymore and it falls to Wong to pick up the pieces of Stephen's shattered soul.
> 
> Title: _Art3mis & Parzival_, GUNSHIP
> 
> @ironstrangebingo prompt: _Water_ (Originally I wanted to write something about how traumatized both of them are by water but now it's this instead. I'm sorry. The other one would have probably be better for poor Stephen.)

"Stephen?"

No reaction, as usual those last few days. Wong suppressed yet another sigh and mentally prepared himself for another afternoon of quiet despair mixed with too much self-loathing for one single human being to bear.

He was still so glad that Stephen had returned into the land of the living - to _him_ \- after five long years of waiting and training but he could feel his heart break each and every time he looked at his friend and only saw a pale shadow of the man he'd been so long ago.

Instead of determination and joy in learning new spells there was now only silence, bitter regret and a grief so deep that it was a wonder that Stephen was still standing.

"Is it time?" Stephen asked and the hollow tone of his voice sent yet another shiver down his spine.

"Not yet," Wong answered, trying to keep his voice as bland as possible. "We still have a few hours."

Until the memorial. Until he had to drag Stephen through a portal out into the sunshine and hope that he could stand upright unaided for however long it would take. Stephen relaxed a little bit and let out a deep breath.

Following some sixth sense Wong abandoned his original plan to go and make them some coffee and instead made his way over to sit on the chair opposite Stephen's.

"You don't have to watch me like this, Wong. I'm not going to do anything stupid, promise." He took a shaky breath, lowered his head and stared at his shaking hands. "I already did," he whispered.

"Stephen." Wong broke off, unsure how to proceed. This wasn't the Stephen Strange he'd grown to like and love as a friend anymore, this was a new person, marked by countless lifetimes, all ending in tragedy. Stephen had only told him the bare minimum of his experiences after he'd been abducted by aliens but even that had been enough to made Wong's blood freeze. In the heat of battle there hadn't been much time to see or think about the changes but in the week since they crystalized more and more.

Stephen had stopped eating and it was a daily battle to even get him to drink something. That was the most alarming change. Taking care of himself had never been Stephen's top priority in the time Wong had known him but now he had sunk to new lows. The glass of water Wong had brought him still levitated in the air, untouched.

Stephen followed Wong's gaze and gave a rueful smile. "Sorry. I just didn't..."

"Please," Wong interrupted him before grabbing the glass and holding it out. "You haven't eaten anything either and you need to stay on your feet for a few hours."

He received a dirty look for this tactic but Stephen carefully took the glass between his hands and drank from it. _See?_ his eyes challenged him and Wong just looked back at him, trying to ignore the shaking of Stephen's body and how pale he was.

"Do you think you could eat something?"

Stephen shuddered at that. "Maybe later?" he offered instead and this time Wong didn't even try to suppress his sigh.

"I'll hold you to that," he threatened instead and got a resigned nod in return.

"It's just..."

"I know." Stephen couldn't keep anything down ever since Stark had breathed his last. One didn't have to be a genius to figure out what happened and the few short comments Stephen had made had painted a clear enough picture, even if a lot of detail was missing.

Stephen had used the Eye, had watched however many different outcomes and over the course of that had somehow managed to fall in love with Tony Stark. Wong wasn't surprised, he'd seen the crazy chemistry those two had minutes after meeting each other for the first time.

 _I'll get you through this_ , Wong promised him silently once again. Stephen was strong and resilient - he had recovered from so much before he could recover from a broken heart or so Wong hoped at least. The took the now empty glass from Stephen's hands and vanished it with a gesture. They both looked down at Stephen's shaking hands. "May I?" he asked and Stephen nodded after a moment.

Wong carefully took Stephen's hands between his, trying to still them and get some sorely needed warmth into them. Stephen's skin was clammy and ice-cold. "You're killing yourself, Stephen," he said, trying to keep his despair out of his voice. Judging by the surprise on Stephen's face he didn't succeed.

"I know," Stephen repeated after a moment. "But... Wong... you don't understand." Stephen's eyes closed and he slumped down. "I love him," he whispered. "I love him so damn much."

Finally. The moment Wong had been waiting for. He resisted the impulse to parrot 'I know' back and instead scooted even closer to take Stephen into an almost embrace. "Tell me," he requested. He didn't particularly want to hear some tragic love story but it was clear that Stephen needed to speak about it.

Stephen told him. The tale was even more heartbreaking and horrible than anticipated and Wong could feel himself tear up when he heard about the ordeals Stephen had to go through in his desperate attempt to find a viable outcome. And then finding only one that guaranteed the safety of almost everyone and only demanded the life of the man he loved as its price.

"I've seen us together in over five million variations of the same theme," Stephen confessed in a whisper. "From a few hours up to eight years we had everything." A short pause. "Even children once or twice. Thanos always won in the end I was either dead or alone once again."

There was nothing to say to that. "I'm sorry," was inadequate but the only thing Wong could think of.

In response Stephen moved a little bit more into his loose hold and Wong took it for the invitation it was. "Let it out." When Stephen pressed his face against his shoulder and started to sob Wong just held him tighter. After a few minutes he dared to put one hand on the back of Stephen's head to hold him closer. He took a deep breath and gathered all his courage. "Tell me about him. Not about what you or he did or what happened. Tell me about Stark. Tell me what made him so special."

Stephen choked on a laugh. "I can't. There aren't enough words and time to do that. Just... hold me? I miss that. I haven't been held in so long."

"Oh, Stephen. Of course. Come here."

He wasn't what Stephen wanted or needed but for the moment he seemed to be enough. Wong carefully pushed and prodded until he had Stephen curled up in his lap, still crying. A quick glance at the watch showed him that they still had about an hour until he had to get Stephen out of his robes and into the formal wear he insisted to wear for the memorial. Wong didn't quite understand why the usual robes wouldn't do but Stephen had only murmured something about it being a promise or something, clearly unwilling to discuss the subject further.

He only stopped his regular stroking up and down Stephen's back when he could feel and hear that the man had cried himself out.

"Come on," Wong finally said and gently pushed until Stephen got the memo and carefully disentangled himself from his hold. "We need to get ready."

Stephen followed as if in trance, letting himself be led into his bedroom but at least he was aware enough to dress himself, Wong noted to his great relief. His mind was far away, probably lingering on happier memories to get through this.

"Will you stay with me?" Stephen asked suddenly while doing up the buttons of his shirt with shaky fingers. Wong longed to help but knew him well enough to not even offer. And what sort of question was that anyway?

"Of course. We already talked about that." Was Stephen really slipping that badly?

Stephen looked up, his shirt only half done and stared at him. "After today," he clarified. "Will you stay here? Or go back to Kamar-Taj?"

If he went back Stephen would be all alone in the New York Sanctum. Alone with his regret, his guilt and memories of a love that died too many deaths. "I'll stay," he promised without having to think about it. Kamar-Taj and his library didn't need him nearly as badly as Stephen did right now.

Stephen flashed him the ghost of a smile in return and finished buttoning his shirt.

"Wait a moment." Wong performed a quick spell to hide Stephen's red and swollen eyes. Some sort of decorum had to be observed, not matter the circumstances. Also, he knew that Stephen would have done it himself if his mind hadn't been clouded by grief. "That's better."

*

Stephen stayed upright and composed until a few minutes after the wreath with the arc reactor had been set into the water. Wong watched him, afraid of the cold aloofness on Stephen's face that barely concealed the broken soul living behind it.

They had to escape as soon as possible Wong decided. He had already fielded a couple of questions since _he_ was the one known to the Avengers. Stark's widow and the kid - Peter, Wong reminded himself - looked at them but neither of them made any overtures to speak to them. Banner was with his friends but sneaked a glance once or twice. They undoubtedly were all turned away by the almost audible _Keep Away!_ waves Stephen gave off like a supernova. But that wouldn't do the trick forever and Wong just knew that Stephen was not capable of holding a conversation right now.

"Ready?" Wong asked and put a hand low on Stephen's back to convey his support.

Stephen seemed to come alive a little bit at that; he'd probably once again buried himself in other, happier, memories to get through this ordeal.

"Just a moment," he begged and moved towards the now deserted pier and went down to his knees, carefully holding his position with one hand on the wood. Wong didn't even want to imagine in how much pain he had to be by kneeling and holding himself like that. He decided to stay behind and let Stephen say his last goodbyes in as much privacy as possible.

"He's taking it hard," Pepper said, coming to stand on his left side with Morgan clinging to her while staring at the water with wide eyes, glassy with tears.

"He has lost a lot," Wong said carefully, still looking at Stephen who was whispering something to the water.

"I recognize a broken heart when I see it." There was no bitterness in her voice, only tired resignation and unending grief.

"His heart has been broken more often than most." He shouldn't talk like that, he knew, but the need to open up a little bit was too strong to ignore.

Pepper nodded. "Do you think it'll make it better or worse if he meets Morgan?" She absently stroked the girl's shoulder and Wong found himself smiling at them.

He knew about their daughter of course, had seen her as a baby on the day of her parent's wedding. He thought about his answer long and hard.

"We should give him a little bit more time first. Maybe in a few weeks or even months." He took a deep breath and didn't protest when Pepper's hand found his and squeezed it. "He's barely keeping himself together right now." 

"To me it looks like you're the one holding him together."

Wong didn't say anything to that, answer enough in itself.

"Tony was a force of nature," she continued. "You either hated or loved him, there was no in-between. Looking at Stephen… it's like looking into a mirror. Take care of him, Wong, please. And when he's ready call me. Both of you are always welcome here. Morgan wants to meet 'Daddy's Wizard' and I want to get to know him better." She withdrew her hand and took a deep breath. "And if he's ever ready to hear it - I want him to know that Tony talked about him a lot. In a good way."

 _She knows_ , Wong thought. _She knows and still…_ Pepper was a strong enough person to see Stephen grieve for a lover and husband he never had in this life and react with compassion instead of anger. 

"I will," he promised. "As soon as he's strong enough to hear it." 

Pepper nodded. "I hope that's soon." 

"So do I." 

Her smile was watery, her "goodbye, Wong" barely audible. Wong missed her steady presence the second the two of them had vanished.

He gave Stephen another minute or so before he joined him on the pier and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's time to go, Stephen."

Stephen nodded, trying to wipe his tears away with the sleeve of his jacket. "I know. It's just…"

"You can come back here anytime you want."

Stephen shook his head and looked out over the lake, as if committing it to memory. "I don't think that I could stand that. This is the place where we..."

"Where you what?"

Stephen had slipped away again, Wong could almost feel his soul leave his body and try to escape to another, better place. He squeezed Stephen's shoulder once again to remind him of his presence here and nodded at Pepper when she stepped up and touched Stephen's other shoulder. Morgan was nowhere to be seen, she was probably back at the house.

"We were married here, once," Stephen said into the silence. "This place, this pier, this suit." He gestured at his outfit. "This is why I insisted on wearing this today. Tony put the ring onto my finger and promised me forever. Forever turned out to be four months before Thanos arrived and laid waste to the whole planet. We died together, trying to take him down. The last thing I remember of this timeline is him holding me and telling me to wait for him on the other side." He continued to stare into the water as of the mysteries of the universe could be explained down there. Or as if he wanted to jump to join Tony.

Both of them tightened their hold on him and looked down at his hands. They were folded in his lap, empty of any jewelry. Wong just knew that Stephen would never marry in their timeline and his heart broke for his friend all over again.

"I'm sorry, Stephen. For everything." Pepper leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "We'll get through this. Somehow. You're not alone."

Stephen put his own hand over Pepper's and squeezed it gently, a gesture that spoke of a familiarity not of this timeline. She smiled sadly and looked at Wong, a world of understanding between them. It was clear that she knew whatever Tony had known of Stephen's experiences.

"Thank you." Stephen shook himself out of whatever bizarre spell he'd been caught in and let Wong and Pepper help him up. "Take me home?"

"Of course." Wong conjured a portal and watched as Pepper embraced Stephen carefully. She whispered something into his ear that made Stephen smile a little bit before she moved back.

She held his hands for another, long moment, before Wong put over the duty of keeping him upright. She waved and mouthed "see you two soon" as Wong led Stephen through the portal back home.

*

Back in the Sanctum, after he'd made Stephen drink a cup of tea and put him to bed, he settled on the big chair beside him.

"You're going to watch over me?" Stephen sounded exhausted; hopefully he would finally be able to sleep.

"I'll stay with you," Wong promised.

"Thank you."

"Thank me by sleeping and eating something tomorrow."

Stephen nodded but turned his head away to hide the fresh tears in his eyes.

_This is not a goodbye, Tony. I'll always love you. Can't wait to see you again._

Wong hadn't been supposed to hear those words, he knew. He didn't know what Stephen had seen and how to take them but he was too afraid of the possible answers to ask. He would see, in time, he knew and in the meantime he would do his best to keep Stephen alive and functioning.

After Stephen had finally fallen into restless sleep Wong carefully adjusted the blanket around him and allowed himself to touch Stephen's cheek for a moment. "I'll always be here for you," he vowed.

He took his book and settled down to wait. For as long as necessary.

**Author's Note:**

> Uff, Endgame compliant stuff is so emotionally exhausting. Poor Stephen. Poor me. Poor you, if you held out until the end. But thank you for reading! 💞 Stephen fell in love with Tony during his future scrying; this is my own personal canon and I'll stick to it until the end of time itself. I would love to hear what you think about this.  
> [Tumblr post](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/185089254341/theres-something-wrong-in-the-village-in-the/) (with more notes) | [Bingo Cards](https://whenthesunburnsout.tumblr.com/)


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